Govt ‘stepping up’ fight against farm crooks

Agriculture Minister Dr Shantal Munro-Knight uses a flashlight as she joins Chief Agricultural Officer Paul Lucas and farmer Kenneth Blades during an overnight patrol aimed at gaining firsthand insight into the challenges confronting farming. (Photo Credit: Ministry of Agriculture) The Ministry of Agriculture said Friday it has intensified a crackdown on farm thieves who continue to rob crop and livestock producers, forcing them to scale back operations because of major losses. But so far, no arrests have been reported since the crackdown began. Chief Agricultural Officer Paul Lucas said the issue of crop and livestock theft – commonly termed praedial larceny — was not only affecting farmers’ businesses but was also threatening the country’s production targets under the crop escalation programme. On the sidelines of the Heart and Minds agriculture summer camp on Friday, he told Barbados TODAY: “We also accept that this is a problem that we need to address within the next few months because the farmers who have reached out to us about their concerns and the extent to which they’ve been affected have also stated that it has gotten to the point where they’re so frustrated they’ve had to scale back and because of the plans we have at the national level, we’re looking at the crop escalation programme, we determined that it’s best that we continue to work with these farmers and the stakeholders.” A special committee of the Ministry of Agriculture has been convened on the issue, including The Barbados Police Service, Barbados Defence Force, farmers, agricultural extension officers, ministry officials and other interested groups, Lucas said. You Might Be Interested In “The discussions surrounding the committee involve the review of policy and modes of intervention into this problem. Recognise that predial larceny is one of the biggest problems within the country, as it affects our ability to produce and for the farmers to actually be able to have their investments being realised.” He would not reveal some of the strategies being considered, as the authorities are seeking to maintain an element of surprise as they work to identify individuals involved in stealing and distributing stolen agricultural produce. “These individuals have a number of strategies which will involve increased security measures, and we’re talking a bit about both cameras, drone technology, but also personnel deployment in the areas.” The chief agricultural officer said the ministry was also strengthening the traceability system to determine how stolen produce enters the marketplace. Existing loopholes allow individuals to sell stolen commodities without having to prove where they obtained them, he said. “We recognise that within the system there are loopholes where persons who are stealing are able to then sell without any consequence, without any understanding of where the commodities are coming from. So we’re going to tighten a number of these systems where we are able to help the farmers because there has to be a market and in order to prevent this from becoming a recurring problem, we have to identify the individuals who are selling and where they’re getting their commodities.” Traceability would be a critical part of the farm ministry’s efforts, alongside increased enforcement by the special anti-praedial larceny squad in the Southern District, said Lucas. “[The squad] goes around and does their monitoring of the areas and what we’re also hoping to do is work with the farmers more closely in terms of the areas which have been identified as being hit most recently.” Thieves could face fines ranging from $10 000 to $100 000 and imprisonment of between five and ten years. The ministry is continuing its public awareness campaign to highlight the impact of praedial larceny on farmers and encourage the public to shun the illegal trade in stolen produce. (LG)